I’ve been to New York! That’s the news. It was a trip of a lifetime for sure (though of course now I’d love to go back).
It’s a massive city; all in all we walked 75 miles across 8 days. Here are a few tips for free things to do in New York, and how to manage all that walking without breaking yourself in the process.
Five free things to do in New York
- See a TV talk show recording. There are a bunch of them being recorded during the week, and they all need a live audience. We loved seeing a live taping of Stephen Colbert‘s talk show, extra fun if you’re a Beatles fan as it’s in the Ed Sullivan theatre.
2. Exploring Central Park. The park is just delightful, with lots to explore. There’s a treasure around every corner. Our hotel was just opposite Central Park so we walked around it a lot. It’s a lovely, quiet contrast to the rest of the city which is so busy and overwhelming.
3. Visit the literary treasures exhibit at the New York Public Library. First up, you’ll recognise the building from everything from Ghostbusters to John Wick. Then the Treasures exhibition is a real treat for literature fans.
See Charles Dickens’ writing desk; Virginia Woolf’s walking stick; a lock of Mary Shelley’s hair and the original Winnie the Pooh toys, all gathered in a room together. Just wow.
4. Even the ticketed museums also have free days. We happened to stumble upon the Whitney Museum of American Art on their free day – second Sunday of the month. Very interesting exhibit of modern American art. The Museum of the Moving Image also has regular free afternoons, so you can pop along and say hi to Kermit from me.
5. Staten Island ferry. This free ferry passes very close to the Statue of Liberty if you want a good look. Also you get to sit down a bit, a welcome bit of rest.
How to survive all that walking
As I mentioned, we walked 75 miles across 8 days. These are my top tips if you happen to be walking New York too.
- Take your comfiest shoes – preferably more than one pair so you can alternate. I swapped between the leopard print adidas Ultraboost Lites I showed you previously and a pair of adidas Adizero SL in plain black.
- The subway is easy to navigate – as is the whole city. It’s all on a grid system. You can tap in and out of the subway just like you would on the London Underground (except it’s way cheaper). But even if you’re using the subway, the city is very big so just brace yourself for plenty of walking. This is why we go to the gym, after all.
- Taxis and Ubers are everywhere! You don’t have to walk it all.
A word about the shoes
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As you can see, my adidas collaboration came with me on holiday too. Both of these pairs are womens running trainers – not because I was planning on doing any running, but because they’re designed to support the feet over long distances and varying temperatures. I didn’t fancy hiking shoes for a Broadway show, but decent trainers will take you anywhere.
Adidas contains lots of brands within the brand, and one of these is the Adizero family of footwear. The brand dates back to 2004 and is credited with helping some of the world’s best runners break multiple records. This design, the SL, is known as the daily trainer and is intended to be a staple shoe for runners who want to push their training that bit harder.
I won’t be breaking any records in mine. Here they are having a little rest in Central Park:
This is what they looked like fresh out of the box:
They do come in lots of other, brighter colours, but I deliberately went for black on black because you can’t go wrong with goth feet, can you? Wore ’em on the plane, at the theatre, exploring Fifth Avenue and The Met. They’re lightweight, comfortable and supportive. And as luck would have it they are currently in the sale reduced to £77, a good investment if ever I saw one.